Google shook up its ruling triumvirate today, announcing that CEO Eric Schmidt would be taking the role of executive chairman, while co-founder Larry Page will become CEO. Sergey Brin, who has also shared power with the two others, will work on "strategic projects," Google said.

Schmidt, who was hired by the co-founders to be Google's CEO in 2001, will focus on external partnerships and business deals starting on April 4, when Page will take over the day-to-day management role. Schmidt said in a blog post that Page, "in my clear opinion, is ready to lead."

On a conference call originally scheduled to discuss Google's fourth-quarter results, Schmidt said "I'm going to get a chance to work on the things I'm most interested in," which will include talking to customers, partners, and the government regulators breathing down his company's neck.

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